My personal goals for EDCI 3430 are that students begin to construct their own beliefs and theories about literacy learning, become familiar with a variety of instructional strategies, and learn to implement these strategies. I also hope that my students learn how important it is to instill a love of reading within their own future students. This course employs literature-based instruction to address the goal of instilling a love of reading, and the use of portfolios to demonstrate professional growth.

My personal goals for EDCI 3440 are that students continue to construct their beliefs and theories about literacy learning, learn how to interpret a child's reading and writing behaviors in ways that will lead to appropriate instruction, and provide that instruction. I especially want them to realize that in many cases a child's reading difficulties are the result of inappropriate instruction rather than some deficiency within the child. Students assist in developing the course around a content theme that integrates course experiences to include not only use of books but also multimedia such as CD-ROM software and relevant Internet sites.

So often as teachers we feel the need to know more, to develop further as professionals. We also feel constrained by time and current teaching responsibilities. This course is a response to educators' voiced desires to be able to read the professional literature in order to enhance their own teaching. My goal in developing this course is to facilitate professional development.

My personal goal for EDCI 6434 is for students to reexamine and reflect upon their own teaching beliefs, theories, and practices in light of what the field of literacy education knows about literacy development. I want my graduate students to develop a habit of reading the professional literature most related to their own particular professional situations, and I provide opportunities for students to investigate, interpret, and share what they read, choose a topic of interest for further study, and participate in instructor, peer, and self evaluation.

My personal goal for EDCI 6435 is that students begin to appreciate that instruction and assessment are not completely separate entities. It is often through daily instructional activities that a teacher will learn the most about a student's particular strengths and needs. Through collaborative learning, specifically literature circles and study groups, the students and I explore the professional literature on assessment alternatives, and seek answers to questions that are important to them.